Weather

March is always a schizophrenic month. That old adage, "In like a lamb, out like a lion"...

On the day I was leaving for Seattle -- my bags are packed and ready to go into the car. Ronda is giving me a ride to the airport -- and there was SNOW ON THE GROUND.

And after I got home -- we had record breaking high temperatures. Yesterday, it was 83 degrees -- which shattered the old record of 76 -- which was from 1936...

Here's a close-up of my new computer bag...which got off to a rocky start. I painted over the original design four or five times....before settling on a simple NAME THEME...

AND -- because I knew there would be a "serger garment" style show on the first day -- I packed up this bright yellow duster -- which I thought would make a GREAT door prize for the serger style show. See all the great serger ribbing embellishments...??

As it turned out -- Bernie Griffiths -- who was scheduled to do the Thursday Nooner event -- was in a car accident in Florida on Tuesday. She is fine now -- but was not able to get to Sew Expo. WE MISSED HER -- and we're looking forward to seeing that style show in 2013!!
On Thursday -- I did an abbreviated serger-style show. Thanks to that lovely audience -- you were understanding and very kind. (because you didn't walk out!)

Rhonda Pierce helped by modeling the great recycled sweater skirt she was wearing that day.

I showed my favorite new thing -- made 100% on my trusty old Juki serger. My recycled t-shirt SLEEVES...with lots of my signature t-shirt fringe...

Martha Pullen even came up on stage during that Nooner event to do a little modeling...

(the words on the back say: "There's nothing wrong with your eyes. I'm just that FAST")

Janet was giving Martha a backstage tour at that EXACT moment...perfect timing, eh??

I did give my fabulous yellow serger-duster away as a door prize at the serger Nooner event on Thursday. And I got a very quick glimpse of it leaving the room...

BUT WHO ENDED UP WITH IT?? and WHERE WILL IT GO in the next year??

It is my hope that the new owner will send me some updates...

My email is -- ritafar@aol.com...

If you think the beginning of this post has nothing to do with the end.

Remember the schizophrenic reference...

Yes, I can be deep....

So many jobs...

On a recent visit, Lilly and I made "spaghetti-dogs". The woman who SENT me the idea was at Sew Expo this year -- and I promised her PICTURES...

Here's Lillian -- poking the hard spaghetti through the hot dog pieces...
She took this job very seriously....

And the results made for a delicious lunch...

That same day -- we had to make Lillian's obligatory cupcakes. I enjoy the fact that she is so earnest about doing her work...

The stirring, the pouring, the licking of the spoon...

As she walked into the living room.... she stopped to survey the incredible mess that she'd made...I wonder what she's thinking...

Something like, "my work here is done"....

Lessons Are Hard

Hey -- if you're doing it right -- Life is NEVER EASY.

Recently, my son Elliott got out of the Army. Finding a new job is not going to be easy.

In the middle of a problematic day, he texted, "My life lessons are always hard".

I texted back, "if it wasn't hard, it's not a lesson"...

Right now -- my lessons seem to be all about the 1600 pictures that are spinning on my hard drive from the 2012 Sew Expo. yikes. What a mess. Still. Thanks to the dozen or so of you who have taken the time to email possible solutions. I have not given up....yet...

Last Monday, my entire computer started to download data off the hard drive -- and
even after a week in the shop -- these pictures are still a bungle-jungle mess.

I was delighted to find a few pictures from our trip to Pike Place Market...however...

when I tried to upload the picture of the four of us, sitting on the brass pig -- this is what came up. You're cute, girls...and I cannot imagine why you're calling yourself "losers".....

WHAT WERE WE DOING??? I think it's from Sunday morning -- right??

THIS picture was supposed to be the guy actually THROWING THE BIG FISH...but instead -- it's Cathy -- who gave me the delicious cake balls....and I'm pretty sure this is the Coats & Clark Charity event...right?? Is that Marilyn behind her? Did ya'll get the cute little Coats & Clark tin purse??


Then, I see a picture of Marilyn and her Mom in the Sunday morning audience. But when I tried to upload it -- this picture came up instead. It actually WAS from Pike Place Market -- and I'm happy about that. We surely had a wonderful time there....but what happened to Marilyn and her mother??

Ugh...

Okay -- since this picture came up and I may never see it again -- I should write about the great time we had on our "Savour Seattle" tour that day. We ate the best clam chowder in the world -- chocolate covered cherries, fresh fruit, delicious smoked salmon...it was everything we'd hoped it would be and MORE...

On Facebook, one Washington native told me that I called it "Pike's Place Market" -- and I should be more careful or I'd be taken for a TOURIST.

I laughed and replied that I was proud to be a TOURIST...and since two of my sisters are calling it "Pike's Peak Market"...I still feel kinda superior....in a very small way...

City Chicken

We all remember our childhood through the food. For every birthday, Ross and Elliott had the "Farro family birthday cake" -- and on St. Patrick's Day, my boys ate corned beef and cabbage to honor their Irish roots.

John was born and raised in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. His father was Sicilian, and his mother was Irish/Lithuanian. So he is a proud "Coal Cracker". That's what people from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania call themselves. If you are a Coal Cracker -- you grew up eating things like halupkes, perogies and city chicken.

Growing up -- to honor their father, my boys ate lots of Italian, some Polish, and some Irish. (To honor their mother -- there were many boxes of macaroni and cheese and a lot of frozen pizza...)

In January -- Ross made Coal Cracker food for his Super Bowl parties. John was inspired...and hearing about Ross's party made him hungry for City Chicken. So, instead of blogging about corned beef & cabbage (which really doesn't require much of a recipe) -- I decided to write about City Chicken -- which is DELICIOUS...and SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING...

John started off by trimming the meat into bite size chunks...it's best if you have both a light meat (like chicken, rabbit or pork) and a dark meat (like venison or beef)...

THEN, poke the raw meat onto a stick -- light/dark/light/dark...

Then, do the triple dip -- flour, egg wash, panko crumbs...

Chill for a couple of hours...

Then, OF COURSE -- the city chicken must be fried....

We finish it off in the oven to make sure it's completely cooked through...

OH MY GOODNESS -- it is SO DELICIOUS.

Such a special treat!!

We made a huge batch. So after the frying off stage, we froze several packages. It'll be a quick meal at a later date.

GO COAL CRACKERS!!

Rita's Favorite Color Scheme

The predominate color in my life is LEMON YELLOW. And somehow, over the years, I've developed a very stubborn color palette....it almost always includes yellow. And lime green, teal, pink and orange...

I inadvertently have dishes with my colors...and rugs...and I've painted entire rooms...

The clothes I buy often have pink, yellow, lime green....

This is my mountain of t-shirts that I'm getting ready to recycle...into something wonderful...

My new spring tablecloth. Which I bought last year and almost forgot about. When Carrie got it out of the closet, I was stunned by the perfect color scheme...


It completely goes with this favorite sweater I'm getting ready to wear when the weather gets warm...
And it all matches this towel wrap....and just when I'm really beginning to creep myself out...

Carrie opened the linen closet and said to me, "I can't believe you're surprised, Rita. Everything you own goes with your color scheme..."

OH MY GOD. My worst fears are realized....

Obviously -- a woman who routinely decorates her home with yellow, pink and orange and green does NOT WANT to be considered predictable...

But that's where I'm at. Predictable....

Texas Tenors

On the NIGHT BEFORE I LEFT TOWN -- for my "really big show" -- Sew Expo -- there was a local event I just could not resist.

And, of course, I decided to turn it into an "Aunt Rita Adventure". With two of my favorite nieces -- Ronda's girls -- Amy and Nicole. They are the mothers of Parker, Landon, Memphis, Cale, Garrett and Cash. And it's a rare thing for me to have a bit of time with these busy young Moms...

My bags were all packed and ready to go to Puyallup -- so on this night -- we started off with dinner at Granite City...

THEN -- the surprise was a concert at the Waterfront convention center. The TEXAS TENORS were back in town...and I knew they put on a wonderful show...

Sitting a few rows in front of us -- we ran into Aunt Ada!! IT IS SUCH A SMALL WORLD...

I also invited my sister Deborah to join us. She was in town for a family emergency...and it was a quick Iowa trip for her -- because she had to get back to Nashville to finish up her work so that she could fly to Puyallup at the end of the week...

But WE ALL ENJOYED THE EVENING. I'm a very big fan of living in the moment. Which sometimes means planning things well in advance, and enjoying the anticipation of a big event. At other times, it means doing things at the spur of the moment, with very little planning...

This night was definitely the latter. Amy and Nicole didn't have much notice -- and Deborah had no idea when she drove through the night to get to Iowa that the Texas Tenors were in her future.

But they were amazing. It was a wonderful concert and I treasure these women...I am so glad they're part of my life...and willing to play my "adventure" game...

BEST SISTERS' TRIP EVER

Here's the thing -- prepare yourself. You are going to get SICK TO DEATH of hearing about our Sew Expo sisters trip. I guarantee it. We had the best time EVER -- and I'm pretty sure I could write about it for days...or weeks...or months...

AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!

Sunday night -- after the show was over -- we went out for our first nice dinner. This is us at Harbor Lights restaurant with Joanne Ross -- a lifetime member of our honorary Sewing Sister Society. She's the Director of Sew Expo and I always stay at her house BEFORE the show. She was probably relieved when I moved my big mess to a hotel room (after my sisters arrived). Deb and Ronda can hardly wipe the smile off their faces...they had SUCH A GREAT TIME at the show...

This is a big building in Tacoma. We didn't actually go in...we just took pictures...

Monday was our Seattle day. OMG. Pike Place Market fish guy, me, Barb, Deb and Ronda...

You can't see it in this picture -- but there is a big brass pig right in front of us. Don't worry -- you'll see the pig. Plenty.

I just want to say there is NO TIME LIKE girlfriend time. We laughed, we cried...okay -- mostly we laughed. As a matter of fact -- we laughed hysterically -- like we'd been let out of a cage.

No -- wait -- mostly that was Barb...

That girl is OFF THE CHAIN...

You'll hear more about the mysterious-fake-sister-Barb in future posts. I mean -- really -- you can't stop me!!